1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for processing an emergency call in a portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a subscriber identification module (SIM) card provided in a portable terminal stores personal information so as to provide various services, such as subscriber identification, charging, and a security function. The SIM card has been developed so that a user can freely use the mobile communication with a user's own telephone number at any place regardless different mobile communication protocols, such as the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) scheme or the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) scheme. Among the SIM cards, a subscriber identification module of the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) in the 3rd generation mobile communication is referred to as the USIM (Universal Subscribe Identity Module).
Such a SIM card can be manufactured in a form of a smart card and be inserted in a portable terminal to perform an initialization process including an identification process by verifying the subscriber information stored in the SIM card. Thus, the portable terminal can be used based on only the authenticated SIM card.
A portable terminal combined with a single SIM card is generally used. However, a portable terminal combined with dual SIM cards has been recently introduced. A dual SIM card terminal, it is possible to selectively switch the SIM card during operation, so that a user can use two telephone numbers with a single terminal.
However, when an emergency call is generated in a state where the SIM card, which has been selected by the user and activated, cannot perform the communication service, it is impossible to transmit an emergency call because the portable terminal can attempt to transmit the call only through the activated SIM card. The ability to place a call during an emergency situation without repeating the call attempts is important to reduce the potential impact that a delay can have in, for example, heart-related emergency since a caller may not be aware that the terminal is unable to place a call.